Arsenal star criticized

“Useless”: Legend rails against England’s Rice

Declan Rice (l.) had to admit defeat with England in the final.(Bild: AFP/APA/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)

The dream of winning the European Championship came to nothing: England's national soccer team was beaten 2:1 by Spain in the final on Sunday. On top of that, Arsenal professional Declan Rice had to put up with criticism from Rafael van der Vaart.

"100 million euros for Declan Rice and what does he do?", the Holland legend was quick to criticize the 25-year-old on TV channel "NOS". "He wins a ball only to pass it back to John Stones. He is useless. If you're really worth 100 million euros, then you should be able to play a ball forward."

Rice moved from West Ham to the Gunners for 116 million euros last summer. Van der Vaart believes that more can be expected from this sum.

Jude Bellingham also got his comeuppance.(Bild: AFP/APA/INA FASSBENDER)

Bellingham not a 10
The 109-time Oranje team player also had strong words to say about attacking star Jude Bellingham: "He's not someone who is there for the technically high-quality touches. He's just a strong kid who can hold out for 90 minutes. The number 10 on his back is questionable. Sure, he can wear a number 10, but for me he's not a number 10." 

Even before the final against the Iberians, Van der Vaart had already lashed out at the Three Lions, calling them a "shit team" and saying that their place in the final was undeserved. The 41-year-old's joy must have been correspondingly great when Spain lifted the trophy into the Berlin night sky ...